Tag Archive for "Brisbane Sounds"
One gig that has always been scribbled in my diary for the last couple of years has been the annual Brisbane Sounds gig at The Zoo. The night is a showcase of local bands used as a fundraiser to raise money for a promotional CD sampler of Brisbane bands. You can read more about it and buy the CDs here. My blog posts from the 2008 and 2009 gigs are here and here and I also broke out a roll of film at last year’s gig.
The Brisbane Sounds 2010 CD was launched last Wednesday at a media night at The Zoo and I had a vested interest in attending as I was exhibiting a dozen photographs of local Brisbane bands, a number of whom are on this year’s CD, as part of a joint exhibition. The photos will also be on display at the gig night on Saturday 27 February.
In addition to the exhibition, the launch night also had live performances from Tara Simmons and Grand Atlantic, an interview between the Courier Mail’s Noel Mengel and Brisbane Sounds’ Blair Hughes and a really interesting panel discussion, chaired by Andrew McMillen and including a number of Brisbane musicians and music industry stalwarts, talking about some of the issues affecting the local scene at the moment. There are a few more photos from the launch night on Flickr.
The Brisbane Sounds 2010 gig night is on Saturday 27 February 2010 and promises to be another great night of local music, with the bill featuring The Gin Club, The Cairos, Grand Atlantic, The Coalition Crew, Lion Island and Dirtybird. Photos and a blog post from the night as and when.
Tara Simmons
Noel Mengel and Blair Hughes
Discussion Panel
Grand Atlantic
It was only when I started processing these photos that the significance struck home; as a photographer you wait years, a lifetime perhaps, for that one perfect split second moment to create an icon, construct the legend or fuel the myth.Â
I know that every few blog posts I end up including a link to this photo; as a music photographer it’s inescapable. Let’s call it ‘The Pennie Smith Moment’. As music photographers will forever be posting in Flickr forums, historically the great music photos were not hindered by stupid music industry rules and conditions that are inescapable in the modern age. ‘The Pennie Smith Moment’ happened because she was on tour with The Clash, had access all areas and was free to photograph for as long as she wanted, from wherever she wanted.
When opportunity presents itself you need to read the situation, anticipate what is going to happen next and be ready for when it does happen.
“I remember thinking something was wrong, realising Paul was going to crack – and waited. The shot is out of focus because I ducked – he was closer than it looks” – Pennie Smith
With the generously suppplied AAA pass from The Zoo, I find myself side of stage at the end of the Vegas Kings‘ set. The band are building to an end of set noisy climax, Pete and Ben swinging their guitars around and holding them aloft as the end of the last song builds up to a crescendo. And then Ben has the guitar above his head and without warning hurls it guitar neck-wards towards the stage. Being the main guitar I’ve seen him over the last few years and with Vegas Kings also being in the studio recording a new album I just wasn’t expecting it to happen, expecting him to feign a throw and just swing it around.
So with the combination of not anticipating it, being a single shot photographer as opposed to a machine-gunner and the darkness of the Zoo I end up with a close-but-no-cigar single shot – an underexposed, not-quite-in-focus, noisy, red light lit photo that could only really be saved by making it monochrome, with Pete’s guitar lead dangling down the middle – and a yearning for another once in a lifetime photo opportunity, another ‘Pennie Smith Moment’ to come my way sometime soon.
More photos on Flickr.
Screamfeeder
Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side
Vegas Kings
The Blackwater Fever
New Jack Rubys
The Mercy Beat
